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Rogers Pass ski permit system adds to 'Holy Grail' of mitigation strategies

Tom Hallberg Bradly J. Boner

October 21, 2020 |

Jackson Hole News & Guide |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Rogers Pass, British Columbia

Terrain closures, avalanche education, and parking management are some of the topics that Canada’s ski permit system tackles. This government-regulated permit system has resulted in zero skier-triggered slides on Rogers Pass. Officials in Wyoming as looking to their northern neighbors to see if a similar system could work at Teton Pass.

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Billions in COVID Relief Has Gone to Farmers. Just Not Black or Family-Owned Farms in Appalachia.

Beth Ward

October 19, 2020 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kentucky

Several organizations — including the Kentucky Black Farmer Fund, Community Farm Alliance, and Black Soil: Our Better Nature — are working together to provide disaster relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic to Black farmers. They’ve been able to award 43 small farms with a one-time payment of up to $750, which was used to purchase equipment or personal protective equipment. That amount can only help them so much, but it’s a step in helping Black farmers receive federal aid, which they historically have been left out of.

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Citizens' Assemblies let everyday people make important city decisions. Let's bring them to Philly.

Jessica Blatt Press

October 19, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Citizens' assemblies, where a randomly selected representative sample of people work together to make decisions and find policy solutions to social issues, is an effective approach to decision-making that bridges polarization. It also minimizes the influence of special interests in decision making. America In One Room gathered 500 people in Texas to address topics such as immigration and healthcare, among others, and it showed that people tend to find common ground after deliberative discussions. Citizens’ assemblies have successfully informed policy decisions in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France.

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Yemen's ‘microgrid girls' power community amid war and COVID-19

Veronique Mistiaen

October 18, 2020 |

Al Jazeera |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Yemen, Abs

A solar-grid station is powering rural Yemeni communities on the front-line of the war and in the midst of COVID-19, while also empowering women who typically have very few professional opportunities. The microgrid project supplies the community with affordable and clean energy, replacing expensive diesel generators which are bad for the environment. Electricity bills have been cut by 65 percent, an impressive gain in one of the world's poorest country. Thousands of entrepreneurs have generated income based on the new electricity source and many more have benefitted from new services and products available.

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Towson University professor aims to bolster local election security at voting sites

Taylor DeVille

October 16, 2020 |

The Baltimore Sun |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Annapolis, Maryland

More than 1,930 Maryland poll workers were trained to protect ballot integrity from security threats based on research about where those threats may come from. The program, one of the few in the country focused on election security at polling places themselves, was developed by a researcher inspired by reports of Russian interference with the 2016 election. The research showed Maryland's greatest vulnerabilities were electronic poll data and voter registration, the network connection between election officials and local election boards, and access to ballot scanners at voting sites.

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‘Energy Aggregation' Has the Potential to Transform How We Get Power, But Hurdles Remain

Chad Small

October 14, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

California communities are turning to “community choice aggregators,” which allows them to buy electricity from green providers and have more control over the energy grid. However, the financial pressure for these programs to offer competitive rates as public utilities can mean that the programs might increase their dependence on cheaper, less green energy sources. So far, 21 of these community-choice programs are in the Golden State, serving 10 million customers.

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Snowsheds are just one part of Rogers Pass' extensive avalanche program

Tom Hallberg Bradly J. Boner

October 14, 2020 |

Jackson Hole News & Guide |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Rogers Pass, British Columbia

Snowsheds are just one tool in Canada’s arsenal to combat the impacts avalanches can have on their complex road systems. Snowsheds are aboveground tunnels where snow can travel over it and into the river, thereby reducing the number of road closures to cleanup the aftermath and allowing thousands of drivers to continue on their journeys. This idea is being explored by state officials in Wyoming as a way to improve their avalanche-mitigation tactics.

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Latinos hold almost half of all elected positions in Fresno County. Here's how they made gains

Nadia Lopez

October 09, 2020 |

The Fresno Bee |

Multi-Media |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Fresno, California

Latino and Latina politicians hold 48% of Fresno County’s elected positions. These gains were facilitated by the California Voting Rights Act, which calls for the use of district elections instead of citywide races in areas where communities feel disenfranchised. Districts are smaller units, so candidates are elected by their immediate community rather than the entire city. Financing a district election campaign is also more reasonable. District elections lessen the disproportionate influence of populations that historically have higher voter turnout. About 130 of 450 cities have adopted district elections.

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Pee fanatics want to feed the world with your liquid gold

Katy Lee

October 07, 2020 |

Wired |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France, Bordeaux

A French startup is turning urine into an environmentally-friendly fertilizer that could replace chemical products. Early tests suggest that the urine mixture created by Toopi Organics can compete with synthetic fertilizers, which end up in waterways and can alter lake and river ecosystems. While the organic fertilizer requires a significant amount of urine to make, it could be a viable alternative to grow crops.

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A world without avalanche closures

Tom Hallberg Bradly J. Boner

October 07, 2020 |

Jackson Hole News & Guide |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

A failed bridge construction project in the 1960s in Wyoming to mitigate the impacts of avalanches inspired Washington state to complete a similar project fifty years later. The project included an elevated bridge that allows snow from slide paths to pass beneath the roadway, which ends up saving losses of economic activity due to road closures. While the construction can be expensive, Wyoming is looking to see if a similar solution can be applied to their own mountain passes.

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